Damage Reduction and Regeneration

[Kirowan]

I've been thinking about damage reduction and regeneration lately. I don't know how to describe the effects of these abilities so they seem separate and distinct. The DMG says that DR can either look like the attack is just deflected or that it causes a wound which heals instantly. The latter sounds a lot like regenration to me.

What I'm trying to get at is I don't know why they are separate and distinct. Maybe I don't understand the intricacies of the system well enough. That's what I'm hoping one of you could help me out with. Does anyone have an idea of why these two special abilities are separate?

Thanks!

 

[kreynolds]

I've been thinking about damage reduction and regeneration lately. I don't know how to describe the effects of these abilities so they seem separate and distinct. The DMG says that DR can either look like the attack is just deflected or that it causes a wound which heals instantly. The latter sounds a lot like regenration to me.

What I'm trying to get at is I don't know why they are separate and distinct. Maybe I don't understand the intricacies of the system well enough. That's what I'm hoping one of you could help me out with. Does anyone have an idea of why these two special abilities are separate?

Thanks!

Sure...because they are named differently and function in two completely different ways.

 

[IceBear]

I dunno. If an attack is sufficent to overcome the DR, it doesn't regenerate the damage. The description of the wound instantly healing is only for an attack that doesn't overcome the DR.

With regeneration all damage actually hurts the creature, but unless it is a specific type of damage (fire or acid for example) it regenerates.

These are distinct situations, and thus distinct abilities.

IceBear

 

[orbitalfreak]

"Your sword slices across the Balor's mighty chest, cutting deeply, but the wound seals back almost befor you retrieve your blade!"
-- Damage Reduction, the long way...

"Again, the swipe of your sword doesn't deal any visible damage to the Balor"
-- Damage Reduction, the short way.

Also, with Damage Reduction on things like Golems and other "non-fleshy" creatures (elementals), you can describe DR as something like : [note: also can use for Hardness]
"your sword, despite its sharp edge, doesn't even scratch the hard surface of the contraption in front of yor."
"The arrow bounces off it's rocky hide, dealing no damage."

Contrast with Regeneration [as well as Fast Healing, minus the acid/fire comments]

Round 1: "Your mighty axe cleaves a gaping hole in the troll's torso."
Round 2: "The wound you just dealt seems to be healing over fairly quickly. The flesh is knitting back together, and the bleeding has all but stopped, even from that massive wound."
Round 3: "I appears as though any damage you deal against this beast is quickly healed, though the burned areas from where the fireball scorched it don't seem to display this healing property....."
-- Regeneration, the long way.

"The wounds dealt to the troll seem to be healing at a rapid pace, except for where the Acid Flask managed to burn its flesh."
-- Regeneration, the short way.


Doing it like this can help differentiate between the two abilities.

 

[Kirowan]

That's exactly what I was looking for orbitalfreak. Thanks!

 

[DM_Matt]

The difference between DR and Regen is that getting hit and regenerating hurts just as much as being hit and not, and that shows. Not penetrating Dr shouldnt phase the target. by instaregen, its almost like the blae goes through and everytihng heals over behind it.